In the epic Beowulf , the story was translated by two scribes, A and B, into the manuscript…
In the epic novel Beowulf, the Christian monk who narrates the story has bias because the characters in the story are not Christian. The monk slips in his own religious beliefs throughout the novel. He also gives his opinion in certain passages about the how pointless he believes war is. The story originally had Pagan Saxon roots, but by the time that it was written down, almost all Anglo-Saxons had converted to Christianity. The Christian monk is motivated to put forth his own beliefs through the characters in Beowulf¸ Beowulf, Grendel, Hrothgar, and Wiglaf.…
Beowulf is a historical and elegiac Anglo-Saxon poem. Religion is an irritable subject and one of the main topics. The heroic character Beowulf is a depiction of superior and God. Grendel is the delineation of the Pagan beliefs as well as the corrupt in the world. This poem is composed of internal and external complications between the Pagan’s and the Christian’s beliefs. Even though Paganism is meticulously extended throughout the text, there are several references about Christianity. Keywords and phrases such as “fate”, “hoping for hell’s support, and many more help the reader understand the different religions that are visible in this poem. The anonymous author of Beowulf thrived with the legendary poem by embracing Paganism, Christianity, and the conflicts of both religions.…
Beowulf is the stepping stone for the creation of many stories of good vs. evil, ending with the hero receiving unending praise and adoration. With that many of the people who read of the epic poem now relate to it on many levels, my belief is that the Christian elements throughout this poem make it more intriguing to the modern day peruser. The author of the poem is unknown but based on the style of wording used and the Paganistic elements it is believed to have originally been scribed by Christian monks. Beowulf is a 'story' that has been passed down for generations being used as entertainment by the Anglo-Saxons in 10th century England. The biblical jewels hidden throughout this story not only help a reader to relate to the author’s work…
In this passage, Beowulf is speaking to Grendel after tricking Grendel into thinking he is asleep. Grendel is in a state of shock after his “accident” and Beowulf has solidified his upper hand in the fight.…
Beowulf is the original epic hero tale and as such employs all of the traditional epic devices. The conflict between good and evil is especially prominent, with Grendal being painted as the evil villain, someone who has no emotion and is as inhuman and as unnatural as he could be the story calls him “a monster, a demon and a fiend, someone who lives within the depths of hell and is from the line of Cain and so it punished forever by God. We are not meant to feel any mercy for this loathsome creature. Until the very end when the authors words convey pity and sadness as he falls to his death. Another classic device used by Beowulf would be Epic boasting done countless times by Beowulf; he is cocky but in this story seems to have a reason to be so. He boasts about his swimming match with Brecca he also is sure of his victory against Grendal even before he has met the monstrous beast. Beowulf is also a story which has many mentions of God and the Bible and how they play into the story. Grendal is a decent of Cain and is said to live in hell, Beowulf is also compared to God multiple times within the story.…
Beowulf was written in the time when the society was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. In this epic poem, these two religions come through the actions of its characters. The acceptance of feuds and the courage of war are just a few examples of the Pagan tradition, while the Christian mortalities refrain from the two.…
Beowulf is a blending of Christian traditions and folk story that praises loyalty, courage, and faith in the face of extreme danger and even death. It presents a model of a human being willing to die to deliver others from terrifying evil forces. Beowulf shows a strong Christian influence that the monks left as they recorded the story, giving the story a new meaning.…
The story of Beowulf is a well known epic poem and a significant piece of literature. Many people still read and enjoy it today. Beowulf offers readers the opportunity to explore beliefs and customs of the past. Not only is the story entertaining, it is also educational. There are several different lessons one can learn from Beowulf. Religion is one of the main themes of the story. Individuals studying the religious aspects of the tale will see two main beliefs: paganism and Christianity. These two beliefs contain similarities and many differences. Readers will be intrigued to see Christian influences throughout the English tale, which was written during a time deep in pagan tradition. There are a plethora of lessons to learn from the story,…
Beowulf was originally written as a pagan oral tradition before the Christian monks infused their religion into it. The epic hero showed his faith to God as he battled the monsters and depicted the world of Christianity. However, the ideas in the poem are presented in both Christian God and pagan power which exemplifies Wyrd. Christianity and paganism are at opposite ends of the religious spectrum and each represent different beliefs and customs. Christians believe and follow the teachings of Christ and depend on the Bible for Spiritual guidance, but paganism is based on the belief and worshiping of other gods through sacrifices. Interspersed in each line is both elements, from the prologue to its end, each element tells its own story.…
As the Christians believe that Jesus was sent here by God to protect mankind and to ultimately die for our sins, the unknown author of Beowulf places our hero in Denmark, fighting off monsters for a country he is not even from. It may come off as a bold statement, and may even be considered a cliché, to compare anyone with Jesus; however, both put mankind before themselves and ultimately sacrificed their lives for the benefit of others. Most importantly, and maybe more convincingly, their friends betrayed both right before their death. Before Beowulf’s battle with the dragon, his companions ran out of fear, just as Judas sold Jesus out. In theory, Beowulf reads as an allegorical text just as much as the Bible.…
Dominick Flannery Purcell English 12 Honors September 9, 2016 The Story of a Man, a Myth, a Legend An allegory is a story with two or more levels of meaning. Beowulf is an allegory because it has many different beliefs from the Christian and Pagan religion.…
Beowulf's story is somewhat of an allegory in which he is depicted as the Christ figure. The theme of Beowulf is a contrast of good and evil which is manifest in both Christian and pagan elements; Beowulf represents good, while Grendel, his mother, and the dragon represent evil. The first monster our hero, Beowulf, faces is Grendel. Grendel is said to be a descendant of Cain. "Unhappy creature (Grendel), he lived for a time in the home of the monsters' race, after God had condemned them as kin of Cain" (Norton, 28). Cain is the son of Eve, the woman who bore sin into the world. A connection, however vague, can be made between the maternal relations of Eve and Cain and Grendel and his mother. Grendel's mother can be considered to personify man's fall from grace and Grendel himself might embody sin. Furthermore, the dragon Beowulf battles can be said to be a picture of Satan: "the smooth hateful dragon who flies at night wrapped in flame" (56).…
The epic poem Beowulf is a tale of a warrior, named Beowulf, and the events that lead to his death. One of the main concerns of the epic poem was whether or not it is of pagan or Christian origin, or whether it has pagan or Christian influences. Even though the poem appeared to be originally a pagan story, there are many clues in the text that point to Christian influence and tradition. Beowulf is essentially a Christian story with Christian customs: that man's survival depends on the protection of God, that earthly gifts come from God, and also that Beowulf is a Christ-figure.…
In Beowulf christianity reveals itself, in which the reader emotions may feel sympathy from the ideas in relates to the bible. The characters in Beowulf take on different roles that are similar to the characters in the bible. The setting also includes christian elements for example, Herot Hall that Hrothgar built in honor of his fame, were celebrations were held with his men. In Beowulf lines 14- 15 describes celebration and peace in Herot Hall: “As now warriors sang of their pleasure: So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall.” Even though Herot hall is the place were the celebration occurred; however, Grendel’s hatred for Herot’s celebration causes him swooped in while Hrothgar’s men were drunk and killed them all. Another Christianity Element discussed in the Beowulf is Beowulf heroism, how he uses God through all of his battles. Before the battle against Grendel, Beowulf says in lines 174-175: “God must decide/Who will be given to death’s cold grip.” In this quote Beowulf is basically saying that God will decide who will win between him and Grendel in battle because he requested to fight with his hands alone. Upon Beowulf’s death from his last battle with the dragon, he thank God from the heavens above for allowing his…